Jonathan Moyo not immune to arrest - lawyers

LAWYERS say only President Mugabe is immune from arrest while everyone else including his deputies and ministers are liable to arrest if they commit a crime.

The legal practitioners said this while responding to Acting President Phelekezela Mphoko who on Sunday claimed that the intended arrest of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo was tantamount to undermining the authority of the President.

He said law enforcement agents could not arrest ministers without authorisation from the President adding that Prof Moyo could not be arrested at Parliament since legislators had immunity.

It is understood that officers from the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission accompanied by the police wanted to arrest Prof Moyo after a Politburo meeting last week after he evaded questioning by authorities on fraud and criminal abuse of office charges involving money and fuel coupons that belonged to the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef).

Zanu-PF deputy secretary for Legal Affairs who was the co-chairperson of the Constitution-making Committee, Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana, said there was no provision in the Constitution that demanded that law enforcement agents must first seek permission when arresting ministers.

Another lawyer and University of Kent law lecturer, Dr Alex Magaisa, said the ZACC was an independent body that was not subject to the direction of anyone

However, another lawyer, Mr Tendai Toto, said law enforcement agents could consult the President when intending to arrest a minister to safeguard and promote national stability and governance.